What you didn’t hear in Houston

+ Ending polio | Being Sikh in America [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 13 September 2019 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair [Emily Costello] A note from... Emily Costello Deputy Editor Last night millions of American voters spent three hours with the top 10 Democratic candidates for president, listening to their views on health care, gun control, climate change – and even vegan diets. But the two scholars who watched the debate for The Conversation both tuned into what wasn’t said on the debate stage. Political rhetoric scholar Jennifer Mercieca of Texas A&M University explains why she feels Democrats need a more full-throated refutation of Ronald Reagan’s claim that “[government is the problem](.” And economist Patricia Smith of the University of Michigan feels the candidates missed an opportunity to focus on the millions of Americans without [access to healthy food](. Also today: - [Vaping style may contribute to harm]( - [The real villains in ‘She Said’]( - [Being Sikh in America]( Top story They didn’t come out and say what they really mean. AP Photo/Eric Gay [Why won’t Democrats say they want government to solve problems?]( Jennifer Mercieca, Texas A&M University Americans want government to serve them, but don't have confidence that it actually can. Economy + Business - [Top Democrats discussed ‘Medicare for All’ at Houston debate, but what about healthy food for all?]( Patricia Smith, University of Michigan The Democratic candidates hoping to replace Trump in 2020 debated a host of critical issues but never brought up the critical issue of Americans' food security. - [Weinstein may be a monster, but the lawyers who enabled him are the real villains in #MeToo takedown ‘She Said’]( Elizabeth C. Tippett, University of Oregon The New York Times reporters who broke the Weinstein story show how lawyers – whether ones who represented him or his victims – enabled the movie mogul's wrongdoing. Health + Medicine - [How a person vapes, not just what a person vapes, could also play a big role in vaping harm]( Risa Robinson, Rochester Institute of Technology Vaping is under heavy scrutiny in the wake of six deaths and hundreds of illnesses. A product engineer who studies how people puff explains why the way users vape could be a clue. - [Anti-vaccination mothers have outsized voice on social media – pro-vaccination parents could make a difference]( Brooke W. McKeever, University of South Carolina; Robert McKeever, University of South Carolina Minority opinions posted online can skew social consensus. Environment + Energy - [Why carbon dioxide has such outsized influence on Earth’s climate]( Jason West, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Carbon dioxide makes up less than one-twentieth of 1% of Earth's atmosphere. How does this relatively scarce gas control Earth's thermostat? Science + Technology - [A newly designed vaccine may help stamp out remaining polio cases worldwide]( Patricia L. Foster, Indiana University A challenge in eradicating polio comes from a version of the vaccine itself, which relies on live but attenuated virus. Rationally designing a new vaccine could help get rid of polio once and for all. - [The womb isn’t sterile – healthy babies are born with bacteria and fungi in their guts]( Kent Willis, University of Tennessee Fungi live in everyone's gut – but now a new study reveals that this colonization may begin before birth. - [The most influential scientist you may never have heard of]( Richard Gunderman, Indiana University Alexander von Humboldt – sometimes called the last Renaissance man – was born in Berlin 250 years ago. His influence on science is still felt today. Ethics + Religion - [Why Sikhs wear a turban and what it means to practice the faith in the United States]( Simran Jeet Singh, New York University Sikh gurus adopted the turban, in part, to remind Sikhs that all humans are sovereign, royal and ultimately equal. But their attire can also lead to misunderstandings and at times, hate crimes. Arts + Culture - [The bizarre social history of beds]( Brian Fagan, University of California, Santa Barbara Today's beds are thought of as bastions of privacy. But not long ago, they were the perches from which kings ruled and places where travelers hunkered down with complete strangers. From our international editions - [How we detected water on a potentially habitable exoplanet for the first time]( Angelos Tsiaras, UCL K2-18 b is now the exoplanet most likely to be habitable. - [B.J. Habibie: Indonesia’s president and brilliant engineer who pioneered the country’s aircraft industry with passion]( Tangguh Chairil, Binus University Indonesia's top engineer and former president, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie or B.J. Habibie, who built the country's aircraft industry from scratch, died at 83 in Jakarta on Wednesday. - [Review: The Testaments – Margaret Atwood’s sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale]( Susan Watkins, Leeds Beckett University The author has returned to Gilead, 35 years after the original novel was published. Today’s quote [The differences in gut bacteria and fungi between preterm and term babies were very consistent and stark.]( [The womb isn't sterile – healthy babies are born with bacteria and fungi in their guts]( Kent Willis University of Tennessee [Kent Willis] Know people who may be interested in The Conversation's stories? [Click here to forward this newsletter to them]( and ask them to sign up at [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111